Bengals take 5-2 mark and share of division lead into bye week

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1 Cincinnati Bengals One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio (513) administrative offices (513) administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE OCT. 27, 2009 Bengals take 5-2 mark and share of division lead into bye week Setting the scene: With a 5-2 start last accomplished by the 2005 divisional championship team the 2009 Bengals head into a bye week. They have two weeks to prepare for a two-game stretch of key divisional games, on Nov. 8 vs. Baltimore and Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is tied with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North through Week 7 play, and the Steelers also have a bye this week. The Bengals reached 5-2 with one of the most impressive efforts of head coach Marvin Lewis seven-season tenure, a romp over a 3-2 Chicago team in a game that many had rated a toss-up. On their first seven possessions, the Bengals scored six TDs and a field goal. Having suffered some erosion in the public s confidence after a home loss to Houston the previous week, the team now is poised to come back after the bye in the role of a prime playoff contender. There are a lot of very tough challenges ahead, but this team has a great opportunity to be really good, Lewis said after the Chicago win. I think they re a more grounded team than we ve had before. There s a stronger foundation of guys. It s a younger team (least experienced in the NFL based on Kickoff Weekend rosters), and maybe that s a good thing, because they don t know any better, so they keep playing. And some of our veteran players have smelled it, either from 2005 (with the Bengals) or with other teams. They know what it s like, and we re getting great leadership from this older group. It has some great mentors. Asked if he might prefer the bye at a different time, given the team s sudden momentum, Lewis said: No, we need to get better, and this is a week to do that. We need a chance to look at ourselves and improve in some areas, and to come out of this thing focused. The guys know that we re going to work (practicing Tuesday and Wednesday before taking a long weekend). The time is now. November is when teams go one way or the other, and we want to make sure we re going the correct way. The highlight of the victory over Chicago was a 37-carry, 189- yard rushing day by ex-bear Cedric Benson, who had a troubled NFL start with the Bears from after being selected No. 4 overall by the Bears in the 05 draft. It was Benson s career high, and it helped push him into the NFL rushing lead through games of Week 7. I knew it would be an emotional day, Benson said, and it s a wonderful feeling at the end. But Benson s success was not the only storyline lending credence to the belief that the Bengals will be playing some very significant games after the bye. Among them: Carson Palmer posted a career-high passer rating of 146.7, completing 20-of-24 for 233 yards with five TDs and no INTs. WR Chad Ochocinco had his second straight 100-yard game (10-for-118), after not previously having one since the 2007 season finale. The Bengals defense limited Chicago to 35 rushing yards Team information Week 8 Bengals bye week Next up: Week 9, Game 8 Nov. 8 vs. Baltimore while holding Chicago to only three points until the early fourth quarter. The Bengals are now averaging only 88.0 rushing yards allowed per game. Three straight at home: Although the Bengals have a bye this week, the club is in its first stretch since 1998 of having three consecutive games at home. Cincinnati will host Baltimore on Nov. 8, following last week s home win over Chicago and the Oct. 18 home loss against Houston. This is the 13th time in franchise history with three straight games at home, including one stretch of four straight. That was in 1973, and the Bengals won all four. Over the previous 11 instances of three straight home games, the Bengals have won all three on five occasions 1969, 70, 76, 90 (includes playoff game) and 97. The Bengals have gone 2-1 in two of the threegame sets, have gone 1-2 three times and have lost all three only once (1998). NFC beware: The Chicago game marked the first of two Paul Brown Stadium visits this season by NFC teams, and the Bengals are in their last 14 home games against the NFC. That s a winning percentage of.821. The last 13 of the 14 games have been played under head coach Marvin Lewis (10-2-1). The first game of the 13 was a home win over New Orleans on Dec. 22, Going back a bit farther, the Bengals are (.703) at home against the NFC since The Detroit Lions will be the second NFC visitor to Cincinnati this season, playing at Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 6. Here s a review of the Bengals run against NFC visitors: DATE OPP. SCORE COMMENT N.O. Cin., Bengals are playoff spoilers Sea. Cin., Five turnovers doom 5-1 Seahawks S.F. Cin., Rudi Johnson rushes for Dall. Cin., 26-3 First time since 2000 holding foe without TD NYG Cin., Chad Ochocinco s 2nd TD caps comeback Minn. Cin., 37-8 Bengals tie team takeaway mark (plus-6) G.B. Cin., Bengals blitz Brett Favre for 5 INTs Car. Cin., Fourth-quarter rally with 86-yard TD drive Atl. Atl., Michael Vick passes for three TDs Ariz. Ariz., Carson Palmer s only four-int game St. L. Cin., Bengals defense allows no TDs Phil. Tie, First NFL tie since Wash. Cin., Goal-line stand stops Skins comeback bid Chi. Cin., Benson burns ex-team for 189 rushing Lewis unbeaten vs. NFC North: In addition to his record at home against NFC teams, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis sports a 6-0 record, home and road, against Page 1

2 (Lewis unbeaten vs. NFC North, continued) NFC North Division teams. The Bengals were last scheduled against the NFC North in 2005, and Cincinnati swept the four-game set en route to an 11-5 division championship season. This season, the schedule rotation again pits the AFC North against the NFC North, and the Bengals are 2-0, having won at Green Bay and vs. Chicago. The Bengals have NFC North dates ahead with Detroit at home on Dec. 6 and Minnesota on the road on Dec. 13. No negative sweeps: Last week s win over Chicago kept alive the Bengals streak of never having been swept under head coach Marvin Lewis when playing two consecutive games at home. The streak includes 12 instances occurring during the same season and two instances spanning two seasons. The Bengals have gone 2-0 five times in such twin bills and have split the pair nine times. Sellout streak on line again: Last week s Chicago game was a sellout, the 48th in a row for the Bengals in regular-season and postseason play. But tickets remain available for the next home game, on Nov. 8 at Baltimore, as well as for the remainder of the home schedule. The current sellout streak is a franchise record, topping a streak of 43 straight sellouts at Riverfront Stadium between 1988 and The Bengals have not had a game blacked out on local television since Nov. 9, The sellout streak began with a game against Kansas City on Nov. 16, Bengals red-zone bonanza: The Bengals traveled overland rather than air express their win over Chicago, as all seven of their scoring drives included snaps inside the Bears 20-yard line. Cincinnati scored TDs on six of the chances and added a field goal on a seventh. There were no redzone chances on which Cincinnati failed to score. The six-for-seven performance on red-zone TDs put the Bengals atop the NFL in red-zone TD percentage for the season (69.6). Cincinnati has scored TDs on 16 of 23 red-zone chances. In overall red-zone scoring percentage (TDs and field goals), the Bengals rank fifth at 87.0 percent. Defensively, the Bengals rank sixth in red-zone TD percentage, having allowed touchdowns on only eight of 18 opponent penetrations of the 20. Bengals red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 23 Inside-20 poss.: 18 Total scores: 20 (87.0%) Total scores: 13 (72.2%) TDs: 16 (69.6%) TDs: 8 (44.4%) FGs: 4 (17.4%) FGs: 5 (27.8%) TD% rank: 1st TD% rank: 6th No scores: 3 (13.0%) No scores: 5 (27.8%) Missed FG: 2 (8.7%) Interceptions: 2 (11.1%) Lost on downs: 1 (4.3%) End of game: 1 (5.6%) Blocked FG: 1 (5.6%) Fumble: 1 (5.6%) The view isn t bad: The Bengals are tied with Pittsburgh for the AFC North Division lead through seven weeks of play, and they firmly hold the advantage in the race to secure tiebreaker categories. In division record, Cincinnati has a game-and-a-half lead over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and the Bengals can do no worse than tie the Steelers or Ravens in head-to-head meetings, as Cincinnati s 3-0 division mark includes a win against each of those teams. In Weeks 3-5, the Bengals defeated each division rival by three points, becoming the first team since the 1970 merger to win division games that closely in three successive weeks. The Bengals have had at least a share of the AFC North lead after games of the last four weeks, and for one week were in sole possession of the lead. Cincinnati first pulled into first place on Oct. 4, tying Baltimore at 3-1 by winning at Cleveland while the Ravens were losing at New England. The Bengals took sole possession of first place on Oct. 11, when they won at Baltimore to go 4-1. On Oct. 18, when the Bengals lost to Houston, Pittsburgh pulled into a first-place tie by beating Cleveland for its third straight win. The Bengals and Steelers remain tied this week, each having won this past weekend. The standings: TEAM W-L DIVISION NEXT TWO Cincinnati Bye week; vs. Baltimore Pittsburgh Bye week; at Denver Baltimore vs. Denver; at Cincinnati Cleveland at Chicago; Bye week. Schedule slightly in Bengals favor: In addition to tiebreaker advantages over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Bengals have what looks to be the least difficult remaining schedule of the three teams. Cincinnati s remaining opponents have thus far played to an aggregate record of (.433 winning percentage). Pittsburgh s upcoming foes currently stand (.466). Baltimore has what appears to be decisively the toughest remaining schedule, as Ravens upcoming opponents are (.585). The Bengals have none of the league s three unbeaten teams on their remaining schedule. Pittsburgh must play one (Denver), and Baltimore must still play two (Denver and Indianapolis). Pittsburgh knocked off an unbeaten team last week, downing Minnesota at home. Take away common foes on their remaining schedules and the Bengals and Steelers schedules match up as follows: Cincinnati must play Detroit (1-5), Minnesota (6-1), San Diego (3-3) and the N.Y. Jets (4-3). Aggregate record: Pittsburgh must play Denver (6-0), Green Bay (4-2), Baltimore (3-3) and Miami (2-4). Aggregate record: Bengals NFL rankings BENGALS SCORING (AVG. POINTS): Points scored 15th (23.3) Points allowed 9th (18.3) NET OFFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total 14th (328.8) Rushing 9th (113.2) Passing 19th (215.7) NET DEFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total 20th (351.7) Rushing 5th (96.8) Passing 28th (254.8) TURNOVERS: Differential T-15th (plus-1) A few more facts: The Bengals 35-point victory margin in their win over Chicago was the largest since another 35-pointer, a 38-3 win at the Houston Texans in The Bengals have not had a victory margin higher than 35 since Dec. 17, 1989, when they set the club record at 54 in a 61-7 home romp over the Houston Oilers. Also: The 35-point victory margin was the largest of coach Marvin Lewis tenure (2003-present), topping a 30-pointer in a 30-0 win at Cleveland in The Bengals 31-point first half vs. Chicago was their largest in almost 20 years. Cincinnati scored 31 first-half points over New England in a 41-7 win on Sept. 23, The last time the Bengals scored 31 or more in either half was Nov. 28, 2004, when they scored 31 in the second half of a win vs. Cleveland. In winning at Green Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore, the Bengals have started 3-0 on the road for the first time since their Super Bowl season of The 88 club opened the road schedule with wins at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the L.A. Raiders. The 1988 team, however, won only one more road game Page 2

3 (A few more facts, continued) and finished at 4-4 away from home. The best full-season road record in Bengals history is 6-2, posted by two of the franchise s best-ever teams. The first club to go 6-2 on the road was the 1981 AFC Championship team, and the second was the 2005 AFC North Division winner. The Bengals are 3-0 in division games for the first time since They called em the Cardiac Cats... : Though the last two Bengals games have featured double-digit point margins for the winner, the Bengals play during Weeks 1-5 justly earned them the nickname of Cardiac Cats. All five of those games were contested until inside the last minute of play. The Bengals won four of the five, and here s a recap: On Sept. 13 vs. Denver, Cincinnati drove 91 yards for a goahead (7-6) TD with 0:38 remaining, only to see the Broncos score on the Immaculate Deflection, an 87-yard TD pass with 0:11 left. On Sept. 20 at Green Bay, the Packers were at the Bengals 10 seeking a tying touchdown when the clock ran out as they scrambled to make one more snap. On Sept. 27 vs. Pittsburgh, the Bengals rallied from a 20-9 fourth-quarter deficit. They got the TD for a win at 0:14, when Carson Palmer passed for four yards to Andre Caldwell. On Oct. 4 at Cleveland, Cincinnati trailed in the fourth quarter, tied the score at 20 with 1:55 to play, missed the ensuing PAT, and won in overtime with :04 left in the extra period on a 31-yard Shayne Graham field goal. On Oct. 11 at Baltimore, the Bengals saw a 10-7 lead become a deficit with 6:59 to play, but they drove 80 yards to secure a win, on Carson Palmer s 20-yard pass to Andre Caldwell with 0:22 to play.... And they ve called em castoffs: Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer likes to try to inspire his defense by telling them, Nobody wanted us. And head coach Marvin Lewis, looking at the entire roster that has taken the team to a 5-2 record, is not averse to noting that we have a lot of castoffs. Here s a roundup of the somewhat checkered NFL history of some key 2009 Bengals performers: Running backs: HB Cedric Benson was released by Chicago in June of 2008 and out of football until the Bengals signed him in late September of 08. FB Jeremi Johnson was released by Cincinnati in November of last year due to conditioning issues and not re-signed until this past April. HB Brian Leonard was traded to the Bengals by St. Louis last May for DT Orien Harris. Receivers: WR Laveranues Coles, despite a 70-for-850 season with the Jets in 2008, became a free agent by mutual consent with the team, due to a contract issue. WR Chris Henry, waived by the Bengals in April of 2008, is making good after being offered a final chance to resurrect his career from off-field problems. TE J.P. Foschi was released in August by Oakland before joining the Bengals, and TE Daniel Coats entered the NFL as a college free agent. Offensive linemen: Starting C Kyle Cook entered the NFL undrafted, as a college free agent with Minnesota, and was cut by the Vikings before climbing onto the Bengals roster via the Cincinnati practice squad. Nate Livings, who opened this season as the starting LG before being injured, was a college free agent in 2006 and did not play until 08. Evan Mathis, who has replaced Livings at LG, joined the Bengals last season after being waived by Miami. Dennis Roland, promoted to the starting lineup at ROT last week, was a 2006 college free agent for Dallas who waited more than two years, mostly on practice squads, before playing. Linebackers: Starting MLB Dhani Jones was released and jobless for almost three weeks before the Bengals, racked by LB injuries, signed him in September of LB Brandon Johnson joined the Bengals in 2008 after Arizona declined to tender him as a restricted free agent. LB Rey Maualuga, despite a stellar career at USC, was notably bypassed in the first round of the 2009 draft. Defensive backs: Five-time Pro Bowl S Roy Williams signed on after being released by Dallas last March. Starting FS Chris Crocker joined Cincinnati in midseason 2008, after being released by Miami. Specialists: K Shayne Graham, though a top performer since 2003, was released five times by NFL clubs before gaining a foothold. PR Quan Cosby was undrafted last April and joined the Bengals as a college free agent. Benson back in NFL rushing lead: For the second time in the last three weeks, Bengals HB Cedric Benson leads the NFL in rushing yards. Benson boosted his total to 720 with his career-high 189-yard game against Chicago last week, and he leads the league by 33 yards over Minnesota s Adrian Peterson (687). Peterson is the defending league champ, having gained 1760 in Benson was in third place through Week 6 play. He trailed Peterson by 87 yards entering Week 7, but he gained 120 on Peterson last week, as Peterson was held to 69 yards at Pittsburgh. Benson also trailed Tennessee s Chris Johnson through Week 6, but Johnson (596 yards) stood pat last week as the Titans had a bye. Benson s first time as the NFL leader was after Week 5. Bye weeks or lack of same are not presently a factor in the rushing race. The top four rushers all are on teams that have played seven games. The highest-ranking rusher on a team having played only six games is Tennessee s Johnson, and his average per game is second behind Benson s. Cedric s will and his drive is something we feed off offensively, says QB Carson Palmer. The group we have in front of him is creating holes, and when you combine their power and Cedric s will, speed, explosiveness, that s what we expect. We re going to expect that all year long. Here s a look at the NFL s top five rushers through Week 7: PLAYER YARDS ATT. AVG. AVG./GAME Cedric Benson, Cin Adrian Peterson, Minn Steven Jackson, St. L Thomas Jones, NYJ Chris Johnson, Tenn It would be a first: HB Cedric Benson (see previous item) is pursuing what would be the first AFC or NFL rushing championship by a Bengal. In 1968, Cincinnati s Paul Robinson won the rushing title in the 10-team American Football League, with 1023 yards. But in NFL play (since 1970 for Cincinnati), no Bengal has finished higher than fifth for a full season. In 2000, Corey Dillon was fifth in the NFL with 1435 yards. In AFC rankings, the highest rushing yards finish for a Bengal has been second, by James Brooks in 1986 (1087 yards). It would be a record: HB Cedric Benson has a solid 4.4-yard average per carry, and in filling the workhorse role the Bengals envision for him, he leads the NFL in carries (164). He is 21 carries ahead of second-place Steven Jackson of St. Louis (143). Benson is averaging 23.4 carries per game, on pace for a 375 total that would top the franchise record of 361, set by Rudi Johnson in Also, Benson s 37 carries vs. Chicago are the most by a rusher in an NFL game this season. The highest Bengals rank in NFL rush attempts for a full season has been second, by Corey Dillon in 2001 (340 attempts) and by Rudi Johnson in Paul Robinson led the AFL for the Bengals with 238 attempts in 1968, and Dillon was the AFC leader in Benson also has 10 receptions for 66 yards. He has led the Bengals in yards from scrimmage in Games 1-5 and 7, and his 786 scrimmage yards for the season ranks first in the AFC and third in the NFL. Minnesota s Adrian Peterson is the scrimmage yards leader at 832, with Steven Jackson of St. Louis second at 804. However, Baltimore s Ray Rice, in fourth place in total yards at 766, has a higher per-game average (127.6) than any of the top three. The Ravens have played only six games, while the Vikings, Rams and Bengals have all played seven. Page 3

4 (Team information, continued) Powerful projections: Seven games deep in the 2009 season, HB Cedric Benson is on pace for 1646 rushing yards, based on a yard per-game average. A 1646 total would wipe out the current team record, which is 1458 yards by Rudi Johnson in To pass Johnson s record by just one yard, with a 1459 total, Benson needs 739 yards in the last nine games. Presuming he plays all nine, that s an average of 82.1 per outing, some 21 fewer yards per game than what he has managed through Week 7. To become the first Bengal reaching 1500 rushing yards in a season, Benson needs 780 more yards, or 86.7 over the final nine games. Prior to the season, QB Carson Palmer opined on the chance of Benson becoming the first Bengal to hit the 1500-yard mark. It s easily doable if he stays healthy, Palmer said. He s the type of guy that always falls forward, always lunges forward. There may not be a big hole, but he ll get two or three yards out of it. If there is a big hole, he s the type of guy that can go 80 yards and no one s going to catch him from behind. That s something we haven t had in the past. He s exciting to watch. Most against ex-mates: NFL Network has reported that Cedric Benson s 189 yards against Chicago was the most by a rusher against his former team, with research going back to Benson s output easily exceeded the previous three best performances in this category: In 1967, Miami s Abner Haynes rushed for 151 against Denver. In 1999, the N.Y. Jets Curtis Martin rushed for 149 against New England. In 2000, Miami s Lamar Smith rushed for 145 against Seattle. Benson s ratio tops the leaders: Cedric Benson in 2008 became the 20th player in Bengals history to rush for 100 yards in a game, and his 189-yard effort vs. Chicago last week upped his Cincinnati total to six 100-yarders in 17 starts. That s an average of one 100-yarder for every 2.8 starts, better than the ratios posted by Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson, the players who rank 1-2 in most 100-yard rushing games for Cincinnati. Dillon got his team-record 28 games of 100 rushing yards in 96 starts, an average of one every 3.4 starts. Johnson got his 19 games of 100 in 59 starts, one for every 3.1 starts. Here s a listing of the 20 Bengals players to rush for 100 yards in a game, with their number of 100-yarders in parentheses: Ten or more games Corey Dillon (28), Rudi Johnson (19), James Brooks (17), Pete Johnson (14). Five-to-nine games Harold Green (eight), Cedric Benson (six); Paul Robinson (six), Essex Johnson (five), Ickey Woods (five). One-to-four games Larry Kinnebrew (four), Boobie Clark (three), Archie Griffin (three), Jess Phillips (three), Kenny Watson (two), Ki-Jana Carter (one), Virgil Carter (one), Doug Dressler (one), Marc Logan (one), Deacon Turner (one), Stanley Wilson (one). Benson has eight 100-yard rushing games for his NFL career. He had two for Chicago, one in 2006 and one in 07. Twenty-five does the trick: The Bengals are 25-1 in 26 games under coach Marvin Lewis in which a rusher has carried 25 or more times. HB Cedric Benson has added to the list in five of the last nine games, dating back to last season. Benson s three games of 25-plus this season have been 29-for- 141 at Green Bay on Sept. 20, 27-for-120 at Baltimore on Oct. 11 and 37-for-189 vs. Chicago on Oct. 25. The Bengals won all three games. The Bengals are 5-0 overall when Benson has carried 25 or more times. Cincinnati was 18-1 when Rudi Johnson had 25 or more (his first such game came in 2003), and the Bengals were 2-0 when Kenny Watson had a pair of 25-plus games in It s not always the yardage total that s most important, says Lewis. When your back is carrying 25 times, it means that even though the yardage will vary, you re controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping your defense off the field. As it shows for us, that is very likely going to be a winning combination. Cincinnati s only loss under Lewis with a 25-carry rusher was Dec. 24, 2006 at Denver, when the Broncos overcame a 30-for- 129 day by Rudi Johnson in a win. Factors that contributed to the game being the lone exception to the 25-carry formula included a minus-two turnover differential for the Bengals and a missed PAT in the closing seconds that kept Cincinnati from forcing overtime. On Benson s comeback: HB Cedric Benson and the Bengals have been on roughly parallel paths since In 2005, the Bengals won a division championship, and Benson joined the Chicago Bears with high hopes as the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft. But the Bengals have been out of the playoffs since, and Benson has been largely out of the spotlight. He was released by the Bears after 2007, carrying mediocre numbers and a reputation of not being a good team player. But things started picking up again in An injury-ridden Bengals team rallied from a disastrous start to post a record over the season s second half, and Benson was a big part of it. Rescued from the ranks of the NFL unemployed in late September, he went on to post three 100-yard rushing games, to lead the team in rushing yards (747) and yards from scrimmage (932), and to earn a new reputation as a valued teammate and friendly figure to media. This season, of course, Benson has shot into the NFL rushing lead while remaining a team leader. Ced has not taken a play off since he s been here, says QB Carson Palmer, in a game or in practice. Even in T-shirts and shorts, he s going 100 miles an hour. Maybe some people wondered about him personally when he first got here, but he put that to rest in a hurry and earned everyone s respect. I believed it myself, OT Andrew Whitworth said of the reputation Benson brought to Cincinnati. But he has taught us all a lesson about not judging people you don t really know. Cedric is just a team guy who quietly does his job and works really hard. Benson was completely exonerated from off-field charges which had contributed to Chicago s decision to release him in June of But he concedes he did not always carry himself or his emotions well while with Chicago. He says the rough period after his release helped effect the changes his teammates and Bengals fans have seen. I m proud to have gone through what I did, and to have turned things around, he says. Benson Bowl now in rear-view mirror: Last week s Bengals-Bears game was widely dubbed the Benson Bowl, due to Cincinnati HB Cedric Benson and his disappointing NFL start in Chicago. Benson was made the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft by Chicago in 2005, but the Bears released him after the 2007 season. Benson certainly got the better of the Bears in last week s game, rushing for 189 yards and a TD on 37 carries. I didn t want it to be revenge, Benson said, but I knew I was going to be faced with being too emotional at times. I talked about it with Coach (Jim) Anderson early last week about playing against the Bears and not getting overwhelmed. I tried hard the entire game not to get too involved in my emotions. That wasn t a complete success, but it went OK. At the end of the day, I m proud of what I ve accomplished and the road I ve traveled. Benson said that the next time we play Chicago, it can just be the Bengals-Bears Bowl, not the Benson Bowl. However, when asked about playing with a chip on the shoulder, Benson made clear he values the motivational factor of his troubled NFL start. I kind of like the chip on my shoulder, he said with a smile. I think I m going to keep it. Praise flows for Palmer: Two-time Pro Bowl selection Carson Palmer has been much higher in the NFL statistics derbies than he is presently, but he has never been higher in the esteem of his coaches or teammates. Four times in the first five games, while Cincinnati was Page 4

5 (Praise flows for Palmer, continued) posting a 4-1 start, he drove the offense 70 yards or more for at least a tie in the last two minutes of regulation. But at that 4-1 point of the season, Palmer had a passer rating of only 76.9, ranked 24th in the NFL. We have a great leader at quarterback, and the numbers don t really concern me, head coach Marvin Lewis said. He is so poised, so calm under duress. When things start to break down and get a little chaotic, he s lights out in the way he stays in control. In the two games since the 4-1 start, Palmer has brushed up his statistics a bit. He posted an 85.3 passer rating on Oct. 18 vs. Houston, and last week against Chicago, he soared to a careerhigh 146.7, completing 20 of 24 passes for 233 yards, with five TDs and no INTs. The last Bengal passer to top in a game was Jon Kitna, who scored on Nov. 3, 2002, when he passed 22-for-27 for 263 yards, four TDs and no INTs in a 38-3 win at Houston. And through Week 7 play, Palmer has moved up to 15th in the NFL in passer rating, at Peyton Manning of Indianapolis leads the league at Best ever for C.P.: Though Carson Palmer s five TD passes against Chicago last week were not his career high, his differential between TD passes and interceptions was the best of his career. Palmer s career-high (and the Bengals record) for TD passes in a game is six, set Sept. 16, 2007 at Cleveland. But Palmer also threw two INTs in that game, and so had a differential of plus-four. Palmer had no INTs last week vs. Chicago and so had a differential of plus-five. Palmer s plus-five differential tied the Bengals record, set only once previously. On Oct. 29, 1989, Boomer Esiason passed for five TDs and no INTs in a win over Tampa Bay. In addition to his one game of six TD passes and one game of five, Palmer has had two games of four TD passes. Palmer s comebacks: The Bengals wins in Weeks 3-5 over Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore marked the eighth, ninth and 10th times that QB Carson Palmer has rallied the team from behind to win in the fourth quarter or overtime. Palmer has turned the trick twice against each of Cincinnati s AFC North Division rivals. Here s recap of all 10 games: DATE CLEVELAND *DEFICIT FINAL SCORE CLEVELAND Bengals, Bengals, Bengals, Bengals, CAROLINA Bengals, BALTIMORE Bengals, N.Y. JETS Bengals, PITTSBURGH 9-20 Bengals, Bengals, (OT) Bengals, * Largest Bengals deficit in fourth quarter. Carson s feet fuel fourth down: Highlighted by a pair of Carson Palmer scrambles something Cincinnati fans haven t seen a lot of over the years the Bengals have one of the NFL s best combined rankings as a fourth-down offense. Cincinnati s total of eight successful conversions rank tied for second in the league behind Kansas City (11). But the Bengals, with only 10 tries, have a success rate of 80.0 percent. The Chiefs are at only 64.7 percent, with 17 tries. The Bengals success percentage ranks tied for third, behind Atlanta (100.0 percent on four-for-four) and Miami (83.3 on five-for-six). Also at eight-for-10 and 80 percent are the N.Y. Jets. Palmer scrambles on fourth down were key plays in the Bengals wins Oct. 4 at Cleveland and Oct. 11 at Baltimore. On the winning FG drive in overtime against the Browns, Palmer converted a fourth-and-10 with a 16-yard run. On the winning TD drive at Baltimore, Palmer ran for six yards on fourth-and-one. Palmer rates with greats: The Bengals were looking forward to QB Carson Palmer s full return in 2009, and a comparison of top team QBs shows why. Despite not playing as a rookie in 2004, as well as playing only four games in 08, Palmer already stands tall in team passing records against Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason, the Bengals two Super Bowl QBs. Palmer owns the franchise s career records for passer rating and completion percentage, and he holds season marks for TD passes, rating, yards and completions. He also holds the game record for TD passes. Here s how Anderson, Esiason and Palmer compare, with a chart of team records held by each player: Career records (minimum 1000 passes) ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Attempts (4475) Yds./att. (7.62) Comp. pct (63.5) Completions (2654) 300-yd. games (23) Rating (88.9) Yards (32,838) TD/INT ratio (1.6/1) TD passes (197) Season records (minimum 350 passes) ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Comp. pct. (70.6) 300-yd. games (5)* Completions (373) TD/INT ratio (2.9/1) Yards (4131) TD passes (32) Rating (101.1) 300-yd. games (5)* * Esiason and Palmer share record. Game records ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Completions (40) Yards (490) TD passes (6) Comp. pct. (90.9) Longest pass (94) Team tied for sixth in sacks: With 17 sacks in seven games, the Bengals are tied for sixth in the NFL. Minnesota leads with 24, and Denver, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia share second with 21 each. Denver and Philadelphia have played one fewer game than the other leaders, and the Broncos and Eagles share the lead in sacks per game (3.5). Minnesota is at 3.4 sacks per game. Team sacks became an official statistic in 1963 in the NFL and in 64 in the AFL. The Bengals highest sacks ranking for a full season has been fourth, in 1973, when head coach Paul Brown and defensive coordinator Chuck Weber guided a unit that logged 43 sacks. In 2001, with Dick LeBeau as head coach and Mark Duffner as defensive coordinator, Cincinnati tied for fourth with a club-record 48. This year s team is presently on pace for 39 sacks. Bengals new breed: Head coach Marvin Lewis said it entering the season this is a really young team and the NFL s annual analysis of Kickoff Weekend rosters confirmed it. The Bengals entered the 2009 season with an average of 3.77 years of NFL experience per player, the lowest among the 32 teams. Green Bay was second-lowest at Cincinnati s average age of players on the 53-player roster was 26.13, thirdlowest in the AFC and tied for fifth-lowest in the league. And since Kickoff Weekend, the Bengals have made four roster moves that have heightened the youth factor. Following the season opener, Cincinnati released fourth-year HB DeDe Dorsey and replaced him with rookie OT Andre Smith. On Oct. 8, secondyear CB Geoffrey Pope was waived and replaced by rookie LB Dan Skuta. On Oct. 13, tenth-year long snapper Brad St. Louis was released, and was replaced by first-year pro Clark Harris. And on Oct. 20, second-year DT Orien Harris was signed to fill the roster spot of injured sixth-year DE Antwan Odom. We ve got athleticism and ability, but we have to set the goal of being the best-prepared team in the NFL, Lewis has said. We can t afford lapses. We can t leave a stone unturned. We have to Page 5

6 (Bengals new breed, continued) make really good decisions all the time, and build a sharpness that s going to snowball and get better and better every week. When Chad (Ochocinco) has one of our special parking places (reserved for players with the most NFL experience), that s bad. Lewis laughed, to indicate he didn t literally mean bad, but he added: It tells me this team has to play a little bit beyond its years. Numbers good, but unit better? The Bengals defense, in its second season under coordinator Mike Zimmer, is ranked only 20th in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, at yards per game. But Cincinnati ranks fifth in fewest rushing yards allowed (88.0), an area targeted by head coach Marvin Lewis as particularly important for Last week, the Bengals allowed Chicago only 35 rushing yards. And for the season, the Bengals rank tied for ninth in scoring defense, allowing 18.3 points per game. Following are some more reasons that around the team and among the fan base, the perception of the defense s performance is more favorable than the numbers indicate: On Oct. 11 at Baltimore, the defense gave up only one of the Ravens two TDs. Baltimore s first TD came on an interception return. The Ravens gained only 257 net yards. In the second half on Oct. 4 at Cleveland, while the Bengals offense was in a pronounced slumber, the Browns started two possessions inside the Cincinnati red zone and were forced to settle for field goals each time. The Browns turned the two big chances into only a lead, and the Bengals offense was able to come back with a tying TD to set up an eventual overtime win. On Sept. 27 vs. Pittsburgh, the defense scored Cincinnati s first TD, on a 30-yard INT return by CB Johnathan Joseph. Otherwise against the Steelers, the Bengals were effective defensively in the clutch. Though the Steelers romped for 258 yards in the first half, they settled for only 13 points, as the Bengals gave up only field goals on drives that had reached their one- and six-yard lines. On Sept. 20 at Green Bay, QB Carson Palmer had one interception returned for a TD and another INT returned to the Bengals 11, setting up a score. And though the Bengals allowed Green Bay to gain 311 net yards, 99 of those came in the game s final two minutes, when the Bengals were happy enough to give up some ground in exchange for time off the clock. The Packers had only 113 yards in the first half, and they scored only three points after the teams entered halftime tied at 21. In the season opener, the Denver Broncos had only 215 net offensive yards before adding 87 more on a once-in-a-footballlifetime play, a TD pass deflected by the Bengals to a receiver not designed to be a part of the play. It was Denver s only TD. I m confident in my guys, says Zimmer. They come to play with all they ve got, and that s all you can ask. Dating back to the end of last year, through this preseason and up to now, they haven t given me any reason to believe they re not going to show up every week and give us a good performance. Taking care of priorities: Rescuing themselves as they have in clutch situations, the Bengals have not posted particularly impressive overall statistics on offense or defense. But they are showing up well in the NFL s top 10 in two areas that Coach Marvin Lewis highlighted entering the season. That would be running the ball and stopping the run. Cincinnati ranks ninth in the NFL in rush offense, averaging yards per game. The last Bengals team to do better for a full season was the 2000 team, at Defensively, the Bengals rank fifth against the run, allowing 88.0 yards per game. If carried through 16 games, that figure would rank best in franchise history. The Bengals record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game in a season is 93.7, by the 1983 team, which ranked tied for second in the league. The 1982 team allowed 94.4 yards per rush. Sacks (by foes) are disappearing: The Bengals rebuilt offensive line had a middling start this season in leading the team s efforts at pass protection. In the first four games, Cincinnati gave up nine sacks. But in the last three games, the Bengals have allowed only two sacks. Baltimore got one on Oct. 11, Houston got one on Oct. 18, and Chicago was blanked last week. The bottom line through Week 7 is that the Bengals rank tied for ninth in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed, with 11. Asked following the Chicago game to evaluate the line s play thus far, Lewis said: I think we ve been percent satisfied. We have a ways to go. We continue to play better each and every week, and they know they can play better. We ll push them to play better. We re getting a lot of good snaps out of them. We re not having the one or two person breakdowns like we have in years past. More on the O-line: Though top draft pick Andre Smith has yet to see action and RG Bobbie Williams is the only player in the same primary spot he played last year, the Bengals offensive line has battled its way to a good showing over the first seven games. The Bengals are averaging net yards offensively just over 100 yards above the norm Cincinnati posted last year with QB Carson Palmer sidelined for 12 games. RG Williams LOT Andrew Whitworth are the veteran leaders of the group. Whitworth played G for most of last season, but he has past experience at OT. Elsewhere on the starting five: Second-year pro Dennis Roland was moved into the starting ROT spot for Games 6-7. Roland has tremendous size (6-9, 325) and has improved his mobility since joining the Bengals. Roland made his first NFL start in the last game of 2008, as an injury replacement, and he saw considerable action as a reserve in Games 1-5 this season. He has taken over the ROT job from Anthony Collins, a fourth-round 2008 draft pick who started Games 1-5 at ROT. Waiting in the wings for a shot at the ROT job is 2009 first-round draft pick Andre Smith, who suffered a foot injury in practice on Sept. 1. Smith has yet to see action this season, but he has returned to practice and has an early listing of probable for the Nov. 8 game vs. Baltimore. Fifth-year pro Evan Mathis has taken over the LG spot and earned praise from coaches. Mathis moved into the job in the season opener when an injury sidelined second-year pro Nate Livings. Mathis joined the Bengals as a free agent last November, bringing 33 games of previous NFL experience with Carolina and Miami. Livings, who opened the season as the starting LG, has come back from his injury to see action, primarily on special teams, in the last four games. The center position is held by second-year pro Kyle Cook, who has added a more physical presence. Kyle is a big, strong guy, says Lewis, and he has shown us that he s smart and understands the game, able to make the calls and get people in the right spots. On the line as a whole, Whitworth says: I really believe we have talent and great chemistry, and that s going to show. We came into this season with a lot to prove, but history shows that more often than not, the team that has something to prove is more successful than a team that doesn t think it has a lot to prove. I like the mixture of guys we have. I ll take it. Hall, Joseph are in INT race: Bengals CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph each have three INTs this season, and they are among three players tied for second place in the AFC. Buffalo rookie Jairus Byrd leads the conference with five INTs, and also sharing third place is Oakland S Michael Huff. Hall led the defense in last week s victory over Chicago. He had two INTs, with 48 yards in returns, and he had four total passes defensed while ranking second on the team in tackles (six). Hall s first INT came in the second quarter at the Bears 39, and he returned 22 yards to set up a field goal. In the third quarter, Hall made an artful leaping grab of a long Chicago pass at the Bengals 13, and he returned 26 yards to the Bengals 39. Joseph did not have an INT last week, but in Games 3-5, he became the first Bengal to intercept a pass in three straight games since 2005, when former Pro Bowl CB Deltha O Neal had Page 6

7 (Hall, Joseph are in INT race, continued) a pick in four straight. Hall and Joseph share sixth place in the NFL interceptions race. The leader, with six, is New Orleans S Darren Sharper. Corner-stones: At the crucial position of cornerback, the Bengals are fortunate to have two young players, hitting their prime years, who have shown every indication of living up to their billing as first-round draft choices. Johnathan Joseph of South Carolina was the 24th overall pick in the 2006 draft, and Leon Hall of Michigan joined the Bengals as the 18th pick in the 07 draft. And in 2009, says defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, it s time for them to punch their tickets at a Pro Bowl level. Those two cornerbacks, they ve got to play good for us to be good, Zimmer says. If they don t, we re probably not going to be very good. Together, the two corners have had a big impact in each of the last three Bengals victories. On Oct. 4 at Cleveland, Hall forced a Jerome Harrison fumble that teammate Robert Geathers returned 75 yards for a TD. Hall also had six tackles and a pass defensed. Joseph had seven tackles at Cleveland, and his two passes defensed included an INT for the second straight game. On Oct. 11 at Baltimore, Joseph and Hall both had INTs. Joseph halted an early scoring threat with a pick two yards deep in the end zone and a 21-yard return. Hall snuffed Baltimore s final scoring threat with an interception of a deep pass at the Bengals 17 within the final minute. Hall had two INTs last week against Chicago (detail in previous item), and Joseph led the team in tackles (seven). Hall leads the team in passes defensed for the season (11), and Joseph is third with six PDs. Hall is tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (two), with one returned by DE Robert Geathers for a 75- yard TD. Joseph has one forced fumble. Hall has played in every game since joining the Bengals, and his 31 starts at RCB include the last 29 games in a row. He leads the team in INTs (11) and passes defensed (48) over his Bengals tenure. Joseph had one of his INT returns this season for a TD, a crucial score in the Sept. 27 win vs. Pittsburgh, and he has scored one TD in each of the last three seasons. There s still room for improvement, but I think everything has carried over from last year, Hall says. We ve been contesting balls and make sure there are no catches. The potential and expectations are very high. Joseph has had a bit rockier a road as the LCB. Over , he missed nine games and played at less than 100 percent in some others due to foot injuries. He entered 2009 feeling fully healed for the first time since his rookie year of 06. I ve shown flashes, but I m going to put it all together now and stay healthy for 16 full games, he says. Zimmer is counting on Hall and Joseph to handle top receivers with minimal help, allowing the defense to focus on improving the pass rush. It s like always man-to-man, Joseph says. We have to stay on point all the time. Pressure is a big thing in this league, and there s pressure on us. Big-play Rey: The second-round selection of LB Rey Maualuga made the Bengals 2009 draft in the eyes of many fans. With his wild hair, animated personality and reckless abandon on the field, the USC linebacker was a highly recognizable player. Many considered him a first-round talent, and the Bengals were lauded for a steal in getting him with the 38th overall pick. All of the above is still the case through the Bengals first seven games. Maualuga is only rookie in the Cincinnati starting lineup on either side of the ball in 2009, having moved ahead of a tough veteran Rashad Jeanty into the No. 1 SLB spot. Maualuga had a game-changing forced fumble in Cincinnati s Sept. 20 win at Green Bay, accomplished with one of his signature open-field hits against RB Ryan Grant. For the season, he has 38 tackles, ranked third on the team. He is tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (two), and he also has a sack and a pass defensed. Maualuga reports that he has worked hard to turn his unexpectedly late draft selection into a motivational positive. Hopefully no, not hopefully, somewhere down the line people are going to say, OK, he s a football player. We made a mistake, this guy can play, he said. And so I m going to show that. I m just working my butt off to get out there as fast as possible. Head coach Marvin Lewis says: With Rey, you knew from the start that the game was not going to be too big for him. He loves the challenge, he does everything at full speed, and he does it with an impact. Chad s push for 10,000: With 573 receiving yards in seven games, Chad Ochocinco is averaging 81.9 yards per game, on pace for a 16-game total of Ochocinco entered this season with 8905 career receiving yards, needing just 1095 to reach the 10,000 mark. His current pace for this season would put him at 10,215 if carried for the final nine games. Ochocinco now has 9478 career yards (all with the Bengals), and to reach just the 10,000 mark, he would need to average only a modest 58.0 yards over the last nine games (522 total). Ochocinco had season highs of 118 yards and 10 catches last week vs. Chicago. He had 103 yards the previous week vs. Houston, and now is working off his first back-to-back 100-yard efforts since Games 2-3 of His 9478 career total has him more than 2300 yards ahead of second-place Isaac Curtis (7101). With his 10 receptions last week, Ochocinco pushed his franchise-record receptions total to 651. He now is 121 ahead of the second-place player, Carl Pickens, who caught 530. And Ochocinco is just 31 years old, presumably with many more opportunities to fatten his leads. By the time he s through, says QB Carson Palmer, these records are going to be shattered. The current top five for all-time Bengals receptions: PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS RECEPTIONS Chad Ochocinco * Carl Pickens T.J. Houshmandzadeh Cris Collinsworth Isaac Curtis * Seven games into ninth season. And the current top five for all-time Bengals receiving yards: PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC. YARDS Chad Ochocinco * Isaac Curtis Carl Pickens Cris Collinsworth Eddie Brown * Seven games into ninth season. One for Chad s thumb? From , Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco posted four straight AFC receiving yards titles. He is the only player to lead the AFC or NFC four years in a row. Only two other players San Francisco s Jerry Rice and Oakland s Tim Brown have led one of the two conferences for even three years in a row. Last season, Ochocinco was not in the ballpark in trying for a fifth straight crown. Bothered by a sore shoulder and injury-related instability at the QB position, he dipped to a 540-yard total. But this season, with the boost of 100-yard games each of the last two weeks, Ochocinco has moved into position to contend for a fifth AFC crown. He ranks third in the AFC in total yards with 573. He is just 61 yards behind leader Andre Johnson of Houston (634) and 29 yards behind second-place Hines Ward of Pittsburgh (602). Ochocinco, Johnson and Ward are all with teams that have played seven games. The AFC leader in yards-per-team-game, however, is Vincent Jackson of San Diego. He has 561 yards in the Chargers six games, an average of 93.5 per contest. Houston s Johnson is at 90.5 yards per game, Pittsburgh s Ward is at 86.0, and Ochocinco Page 7